I was having a social lunch on Saturday at a friend’s house. The male companion of one of our friends who was visiting from Chicago, a tenured professor of applied electrical engineering, made a comment that started a heated a discussion. He said that he didn’t think that women were discriminated for opportunities in the sciences or technology, at least at his university. He thought the fact that the population at his university is over 70% male didn’t seem to make a difference – “Women had the same opportunities as men”. I thought one of our other female friends who was sitting across the table was going to launch across the table and strangle him with her bare hands. She has been in business for over 25 years, has a PhD and is a CEO of a biotech nonprofit. She said that women are discriminated in the sciences all the time. She continued saying something to the effect, ”that women were being held back because groping white men were reaching up under their skirts and holding them back.” Wow! Yes, lunch was a little uncomfortable after that point, but we made got through it with serious discussion, fine wine and laughter.